Southern Comfort 2000
Atlanta Georgia Sept. 26 - Oct. 1, 2000
I was really happy when time came to head down to Atlanta for this years SCC. I had had to miss last years conference due to getting ready for SRS surgery in Thailand. I've missed all the friends that I had made during previous SCC's and was really looking forward to seeing them again.
I left rather early this year, Friday the 22nd so as to be able to drop in on a dear friend who was going to be one of my roommates while at the conference. Beverly and her mother really made me feel welcome in their home! We arose early on Saturday morning and were off to Atlanta where we spent the Saturday night with another friend at his apartment and picked up the last of our roommates, Christine. Finally around mid-day on Sunday the 3 of us made our way over to the hotel. We spent that evening just relaxing. Early registration for the conference wasn't due to begin until mid-day on Tue. so we went across the street to play mall bunny at Lennox mall for a bit! On Tue. my two girlfriends had duties at the registration room so I left to prowl the hotel to see who had shown up early like ourselves. Actually not too many as it turns out but I still found a few people to become acquainted with.
Wednesday was when the main conference was to begin so there was a bustle of activity that day. Lots of people came in on Wed. for the full conference but there was still a trickle of people showing up all week long. Some who could only manage to get one day off work and such would come by on either Thru., Fri., or on Saturday. I didn't feel the need to go to all the seminars this year so I didn't even register. I had mostly came down to visit with everyone this year. I did however want to make one seminar that was due to happen on Friday afternoon. It was being given by a professor who was also a Lakota Indian and it was on the Lakota Winkte (pronounced Win-Tay) tradition. The Winkte were the transgendered people in the Lakota culture and up until the Christianity started changing the Indian culture and religion the Winkte were revered as shamen and healers, somewhat magical. They weren't shunned as in most of today's culture. The gentleman giving the seminar had tracked down a lot of the old legends and traditions about the Winkte and his presentation was fascinating to say the least. If any of you are interested in reading some of the literature that is around on the Winkte the following are some of the reference material that was listed in his presentation.
Rosco, Will. The Zuni Man-Woman. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico, 1991.
Rosco, Will Changing Ones. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1998.
Jacobs, Sue-Ellen, Thomas, Wesley, and Lang, Sabine, editors. Two Spirit People. Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1997.
On Sunday Oct. 1st just before I was to leave for home I had breakfast with some of the organizers of this years event. I found out that there were over 700 participants this year making this the LARGEST TRANSGENDER GATHERING IN HISTORY! Wow, I knew that there were a lot of people there this year but I'd no idea that there were that many. I did make a LOT of new friends this year however! LOL
As is usual when one goes to a TG/TS convention I took PICTURES! *G* If you'd like to see some of them then just click on the SCC 2000 Pin at the bottom of this page and it will take you to my Southern Comfort 2000 Photo Gallery. I would like to thank you for visiting my Homepage and invite you back again in the future.
Click the Southern Comfort Pin for 2000 SCC Photos.
